#misjudgement

All this misjudgment that we have of each other is based on ignorance. The second you get to travel, you see that human beings, no matter where they come from, they are the same.

 - Marjane Satrapi  (b. November 22, 1969)

Hi! I'm Catherine Fe L. Pauig, the author of this short story about a taxi driver whose sole responsibility was to pick up his passenger and transport them to their destination, but in this narrative, I'll show you why a taxi driver may also be your superhero.

“To witness a crime...”

I am Matt Reyes, a Filipino taxi driver who is 56 years old. I started driving when I was 19 years old, when my father could not afford to send us to college. I have been going to so many places to give rides to my passengers. The longest ride I have ever taken was in the province of Isabela for 24 hours straight. I encountered so many incidents. In fact, I almost drove myself to the bridge because I slept while driving. Sometimes I am drunk; other times I just sleep while driving. From what I remember, it happens all the time. Of course, I cannot forget the incidents where I almost died and left my family without saying goodbye.

My work hours are 4 a.m. to 12 p.m. every day. One morning, when I was waiting for passengers in the parking lot of a hotel, there was a couple who came straight to me and asked me to give them a ride to Quiapo, Manila. They are tourists, so I think they just saw this place online. I put their luggage in a compartment and gave them a ride. Before they left, I warned them to hide their wallets and phones because there are many thieves out there and they are tourists, so attention may come to them. I give them my phone number in case they need a ride back to the hotel.

To give you an idea, Quiapo is known as the "Old Downtown Manila." One of the most famous sites in the area is the Quiapo Church, where you can find the Black Nazarene, a dark wooden statue of Jesus Christ believed to bestow miracles and blessings on those who worship it. The area is well known for its marketplace, where bargain hunting is popular. There are numerous vendors everywhere where you can buy the latest fashion trends at the lowest possible price. There are also things that people believe to be true, such as fortune-telling and faith-based healing services, along with herbals and amulets for sale that are said to protect their holders from evil forces. These are the reasons why so many people visit Quiapo, Manila. But we cannot deny the fact that Quiapo is also one of the most dangerous places in Manila because of pickpockets, beggars, and other crimes that can happen there.

After I left them, I went back to the hotel to wait for another passenger, but then someone called me, and guess what? The couple that I warned to hide their important things have been robbed. So, they asked me if I could go back to them to pick them up at the hotel. I said, "Yes, ma'am. Give me 20 minutes to get back there," then I hung up the phone.

When I got there, the girl accused me of being one of the accomplices of those who robbed them. To be honest, I wanted to laugh at them, accusing me after what I did to them, so I told them, "Ma'am and sir, didn't I warn you to hide your important things before you leave?" And then she said, "Yes, but how do you know that they are going to rob our wallets? What should we do?" And I said, "I've been a driver for three decades and counting, and I know this place very well. We can go to the police and report the incident."

We went to the police to report the incident and get back to the hotel where they are staying, and I told them to wait for the police to call them for any updates. Before I left them, they apologized to me for accusing me, but then I told them that it was okay because I knew that they were new to this place.

After what happened that day, I decided to go home. I always wondered what people said online about the places that tourists could visit. They are just saying the positive side of the places, not the negative side. All the passengers that I have given rides to—some of them were tourists—have visited places where criminality is high. Although the place is good, the food is good, and the view is good, but the people are sometimes so greedy that they take advantage of or harm other people to earn money and consider that their job. I hope that people, especially tourists, can also see the negative side of the places they want to visit so they know what to do, or at least give them information so they can be safe. And the police should patrol that area from time to time to prevent crime, especially during the Christmas season when many people go there.

Reference.